Videos of cats sucking their own paws have gone viral on Japanese internet.
The craze apparently started when Twitter user @_okayu shared one of their own cat, Kabu.
うちのカブちゃん、指吸ならぬ肉球吸いをしてるんだけど… pic.twitter.com/apqrTOJhZU
— お粥さん@無断転載NG (@_okayu) September 4, 2018
As seen in the video, Kabu is perfectly satisfied sucking his own paws.
The endearing post has gained over 2.43 million views, 186,000 likes, and 60,000 retweets since Sept. 4.
Japanese netizens showered Kabu with love:
“Precious.”
“It’s really cute.”
“He’s a wonderful, beautiful cat.”
“I cried, it’s too cute.”
“He’s trying to understand the feelings of people.”
これは18.6万ふぁぼの伝統芸能ではありません pic.twitter.com/0cRJhgH4W0
— お粥さん@無断転載NG (@_okayu) September 14, 2018
It did not take long before others shared videos of their own cats doing the same thing.
うちの子もそれやってました((∩´︶`∩))めちゃくちゃ可愛いですよね💕 pic.twitter.com/Xz473ZjkwW
— 翔子ちゃん🌎🃏 (@syokokoko_m) September 5, 2018
我が家の新入りは
手当たり次第に他の子の肉球を吸っていきますwww pic.twitter.com/bNpgb7KYxu— つよぽぽぽん (@_244com) September 5, 2018
うちだけじゃなかった！ pic.twitter.com/lVzNWRvzgl
— 한 해랑ㅇㅅㅇへらん (@adam_soyun) September 5, 2018
うちの子は親肉球しゃぶりますよ🐱 pic.twitter.com/G9XtqunJPK
— アンダーソン (@andersonkai1) September 6, 2018
Netizens speculated various reasons to explain the behavior, but it turns out that the felines are only trying to recreate the feeling of nursing — much like thumb-sucking human adults.
@_okayu shared a video of a younger Kabu seemingly dreaming about nursing:
もっと幼かったときにオッパイ吸ってる夢を見るカブちゃんも見て pic.twitter.com/FBI8ozbzwk
— お粥さん@無断転載NG (@_okayu) September 5, 2018
Paw sucking can happen when kittens are separated too early from their mothers, according to cat-dedicated outlet Catster. In the perfect world, they may not be weaned earlier than six weeks.
Still, the behavior can signal stress, compulsive behavior, or mere happiness or contentment, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
あっ！18.3万ふぁぼの伝統芸能！ pic.twitter.com/aHfabgDmjJ
— お粥さん@無断転載NG (@_okayu) September 9, 2018
What do you think?
Featured Images via Twitter / @_okayu
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